To the Editor: Dr Erlinger and colleagues1 reported that plasma CRP levels are higher among
individuals who subsequently develop colon cancer. The authors also found
that even though smokers had higher CRP levels, this interaction was not associated
with an increase in the risk for subsequent development of colon cancer. These
findings suggest that the cause of the elevation of CRP was important in determining
whether high CRP levels increased the chance for subsequent development of
colon cancer.